Division I Women

Top Seeded Gators Outlast Albany in Opening Round

from press release

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The University of Florida
women's lacrosse team extended its winning steak to 14 this
afternoon, outlasting the University at Albany's offensive stall
technique in a 6-4 victory in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament. The Gators are now 2-0 in NCAA First Round competition,
improving to 18-2 overall on the year. With the loss, UAlbany
finishes the season at 12-6, falling in the first round for the
first time.

"Credit Albany for just a fantastic job today," Head Coach
Amanda O'Leary said. "They came in here with a ton of heart. They
were scrappy. John (Battaglino) came in with a team that was
incredibly prepared to play. So credit Albany for a great game.

"I'm really proud of our kids as well. I think they came out and
they competed. I don't think everything went as we had scripted,
but still competed hard, played hard, and came out with a win."

Shannon Gilroy (Northport, N.Y.) followed her outstanding
performance against Northwestern with another solid outing in the
midfield, leading the Gators with five draw controls and two goals,
and helping UF to earn a 10-2 advantage on draws. Kitty Cullen
(Rockville, Md.) put up a goal and an assist, and Nora Barry
(Marcellus, N.Y.), Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) and Nicole
Graziano (Mendham, N.J.) each added a goal.

The Gators defense was lights out once again, holding its
opponent to single digits for the 16th time this season. Kayla
Stolins (Glen Arm, Md.) led the charge with three of the Gators' 10
caused turnovers, marking the third-straight game in which Florida
caused at least 10 TO. Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) held firm in
the cage, making five saves while allowing just four goals.

Jess Antelmi led the Great Danes with three of UAlbany's five
points, notching two goals and an assist. Mel Rorie caused three
turnovers for the Great Danes, and Anna Berman made three saves,
allowed six goals, and tabbed a game-leading five ground balls.

Nora Barry won the opening draw, and just 36 seconds into the
postseason, Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) passed up to Barry at
the top of the arc, who drove through the UAlbany defense and
buried the ball in the back of the net.

Florida won the next draw, but a turnover created by Anna Berman
gave UAlbany its first possession, which the Great Danes intended
to hold onto. Throughout the entire game, UA took its time with the
ball on offense, maintaining the ball for several minutes at a time
without making a direct move to the goal.

"It was a great game plan, clearly," O'Leary said. "They were
able to maintain possession. They worked for the perfect shot and a
bunch of times they were able to convert on it. I think it's a
great game plan. It worked."

Trailing 1-0, the Great Danes held the ball for upwards of six
minutes, before a foul in the arc sent Ariana Parker to the line on
free position. Meagher made her first save of the day, and soon the
ball was back in UF's hands.

The Gators did not waste any time once the ball was in their
possession, and just 11 seconds after the successful clear, Bruns
found Dashiell right in front of the net, sending a one-timer into
the cage for goal number two at 22:18.

The Great Danes continued to slow down the pace of the game, but
midway through the first half, the Gators were able to score two
quick goals. At 16:35, Cullen found Gilroy in the middle, who
ducked an attacker's stick, pulled off a spin move through a double
team, and while still maintaining possession, found the back of the
net. Nicole Graziano then beat out a one-on-one run from the 30
just over two minutes later, to give Florida an early, 4-0
lead.

UAlbany's defense succeeded in keeping Florida off the board for
the remaining 14 minutes of the half, and with 11:28 to go in the
period, Jess Antelmi was able to drive the ball around the goal
circle and bounced in the Great Danes' first goal of the
afternoon.

Ariana Parker won the opening draw of the second half, and after
a scoreless 13-and-a-half minutes of play, Antelmi sent a one-timer
to Amanda Pollock, who cut Florida's lead to two, 4-2.

Haydon Judge (Chestertown, Md.) won the ensuing draw, and after
nearly 30 minutes without a Gator goal, Shannon Gilroy netted a
free-position goal at 15:19. Less than two minutes later, Cullen
drove in from out to the left, splitting a strong defensive
attempt, to net her first goal of the afternoon and put Florida
back ahead by four, 6-2.

Florida continued to dominate on the draw, but UAlbany's patient
possessions kept the ball out of Florida's prolific attackers'
sticks.

"When they do that, it is really important to continue talking
to each other," said junior defender Sam Farrell (Millersville,
Md.), "keeping the energy up and continue working for each other.
(We) just need to know at any minute they are going to get us in a
lull and they are trying to slow us down and at any minute they can
go to goal. We just have to be ready for that."

As the clocked ticked down, the Great Danes' patience continued
to pay off, as UA worked at chipping away at Florida's lead. Ariana
Parker netted a free-position goal at 7:29, and with 4:23 remaining
in regulation, Antelmi bounced in her second goal of the day to cut
the score to 6-4.

The final four minutes of the game had a new rhythm, as the
Great Danes needed to speed up their attack and play with a greater
sense of urgency. However, this resulted in a combined five
turnovers and just one shot, by Florida's Shannon Gilroy, and as
the clock ran to zero, UF came out on top with a final score of
6-4.

The Gators return to action next Saturday, May 19, to host the
winner of Penn State and Towson's First Round game in the NCAA
Quarterfinals. It marks the second-straight season that Florida has
hosted both of the first two rounds. Florida will be in search of
its first-ever Final Four appearance when the opening whistle blows
at 12:30 p.m.